The is a high-speed

Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond l ...

train service operated on the

Tōhoku Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture in a route length of , making it Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main is ...

between and by

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

(JR East) in Japan.

Name

The word ''yamabiko'' is usually translated as 'echo', particularly one which is heard in the mountains.

Rolling stock

E2 series The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) on the Tohoku Shinkansen high-speed lines in Japan since 1997. They are formed in 8- and 10-car sets. The 8-car sets were used on the Hokuriku ...

(since March 1997) * E3 series *

E5 series The and the related are Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train types built by Hitachi Rail and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The E5 series is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East); it was introduced on Tohoku Shinkansen services on 5 Ma ...

(since November 2011) * E6 series (since 16 March 2013)JR Timetable, March 2013 = * 200 series (June 1982 – November 2011) * E1 series (''Max Yamabiko'') (July 1994 – December 1999) *

E4 series The was a high-speed shinkansen train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. They were the second series of completely bi-level Shinkansen trainsets to be built in Japan (the other being the E1 series). They previousl ...

(''Max Yamabiko'') (until 28 September 2012) issue *

H5 series The and the related are Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train types built by Hitachi Rail and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The E5 series is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East); it was introduced on Tohoku Shinkansen services on 5 ...

(since 26 March 2016) File:E2 J74 Yamabiko 216 Omiya 20110206.jpg, E2 series File:Shinkansen E3 komachi.JPG, E3 series File:JRE-TEC-E5 omiya.JPG, E5 series File:2013年1月20日E6系S12編成試運転.jpg, E6 series File:H5系 H1編成仙台駅入線.JPG, H5 series

Former rolling stock

* 200 series (June 1982 – November 2011) * E1 series (''Max Yamabiko'') (July 1994 – December 1999) *

(''Max Yamabiko'') (until 28 September 2012) File:JR East Shinkansen 200(renewal).jpg, 200 series File:Shinkansen-e1.jpg, E1 series File:JR East Shinkansen E4.jpg, E4 series

History

1959–1963: Semi express

On 1 February 1959, the name ''Yamabiko'' was introduced on a service between

Fukushima may refer to: Japan * Fukushima Prefecture, Japanese prefecture ** Fukushima, Fukushima, capital city of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan ***Fukushima University, national university in Japan *** Fukushima Station (Fukushima) in Fukushima, Fukushim ...

and

Morioka is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 February 2021, the city had an estimated population of 290,700 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . ...

on the

Tōhoku Main Line The Tōhoku Main Line ( ja, 東北本線, ) is a long railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Utsunomiya, Fukush ...

. This service operated until 30 September 1963.

1965–1982: Limited express

From 1 October 1965, the name was reintroduced for

limited express A limited express is a type of express train service. It refers to an express service that stops at a limited number of stops in comparison to other express services on the same or similar routes. Japan The term "limited express" is a common ...

services operating between

Ueno is a district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, best known as the home of Ueno Park. Ueno is also home to some of Tokyo's finest cultural sites, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the National Museum of Na ...

in Tokyo and Morioka. These services continued until 22 June 1982, the day before the

opened.

1982–Present: Shinkansen

From the start of services on the newly opened Tōhoku Shinkansen on 23 June 1982, ''Yamabiko'' became the name used for the limited-stop shinkansen services operating initially between

Ōmiya Ōmiya 大宮 is a Japanese word originally used for the imperial palace or shrines, now a common name, and may refer to: People *Ōmiya (surname), a Japanese surname *Ōmiya, or is a female character in ''The Tale of Genji'', an 11th-century nove ...

and Morioka, later between Ueno and Morioka, and eventually between

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

and Morioka. Since 1 July 1992, some ''Yamabiko'' services have run coupled with '' Tsubasa'' services (as of 2011 formed of E3 series sets) between Tokyo and Fukushima. From 19 November 2011,

trainsets were introduced on some ''Yamabiko'' services, replacing the remaining 200 series-operated services.

Special event train services

Sayonara 200 series Yamabiko

On 30 March 2013, a special train operated from Morioka to Tokyo, as a farewell run for the 200 series on ''Yamabiko'' services.

References

External links

E2 series ''Hayate''/''Yamabiko''/''Nasuno''

{{JR East trains Tōhoku Shinkansen Railway services introduced in 1959 Named Shinkansen trains